Wild Life
Located in the eclectic suburb of Brunswick in Melbourne's north, Wild Life is cafe and bakery that loves sourdough, seasonal produce and community. Famous for their bread, viennoiserie, preserves and pickles, people love Wild Life because everything they do is done well, really well. Founder Huw Murdoch is constantly pushing to improve the experience of customers and employees alike. He approached JAC AND to rebrand the business and we’ve been close ever since. We've navigated a pandemic, a second location, multiple product launches and many campaigns — with a fair few pastries eaten along the way.
A BRAND FOR ITS PEOPLE.
Huw Murdoch is a good boss. The type who trusts his employees, pays them well and values their input. So it was fitting that our first workshop with Wild Life was an all-in event where we were able to hear first-hand from the bakers and baristas about the current state of play and where they were headed. We set about creating a brand that felt right for its people, represented the offer authentically and appealed to locals. The Wild Life brand deliberately avoids the formulaic rustic approach, adopting a playful contemporary tone with no fluff or flourishes.
SETTING THE TONE.
Wild Life produce simple, sincere renditions of the classics yet without fuss or fanfare. At first glance, their offer could seem traditional, but delve a little deeper and it’s clearly not. This is a contemporary setting with a creative team behind it. We decided to let the product speak for themselves and created a brand centred around ethos and experience. Using strong colours and bold shapes with an offbeat, quizzical tilt, the Wild Life brand is a refreshing outlier.
The brand steers clear of common cues and devices, presenting with confidence that their customers know what they’re coming for.
HONOURABLE EXECUTION.
Like us, Wild Life believe that if you're going to do something, you’d better do it well. It’s why they have such loyal customers day-to-day and struggle to keep up with demand at peak times of the year – hot cross buns and mince pies anyone? Over the years, we’ve developed a refined packaging suite that does justice to its contents. Bags, boxes, cups and more have been designed to extend on the brand experience and spread its reach in both the physical and digital worlds.
Good customers make great brand ambassadors.
SHELF PRESENCE.
Wild Life's kitchen had always produced delicious preserves and pickles for their own needs, and the feedback was clear – people wanted more. Cue delicious things in jars™. In this space, the chefs get experimental with seasonal produce. They have a few staples, like their renowned Kimchi, but for the most part everything is small batch. For this reason, we once again let the product do the talking. The simple jars are brought to life through their contents, with labelling tucked away. An approach that’s fit-for-purpose, marketable and sustainable.
DESIGNED TO GROW.
When Wild Life opened their second outpost – Superette – we were incredibly proud, and all in. We partnered with Huw and the team on naming and identity development to introduce the new concept to market and taking the opportunity to grow the Wild Life brand system. The Superette brand is a natural extension of the core brand, connected in a way that leverages off its existing value, while making a mark of its own.
“Wild Life is made up of a team of incredibly experienced, thoughtful and talented bakers, chefs and front of house staff. We focus on championing ingredients that were grown with intention by people we know. Our bakers and chefs work hard to do justice to those ingredients and their producers. So, the very least we can do for them is to cultivate a brand and invest in packaging that does justice to their painstaking work. To champion and share with as many people as we can, the care and intention that goes into every grain of flour, every pastry and every loaf.”
Packaging photography by Lauren Bamford. Styling by Poppy Buntz. On-site with Pier Carthew.
